Schwarzenegger speaks directly to the Russian people in viral video

This Thursday, actor and ex-governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger directly addressed Russia in a video posted on social media, including his recently created account on Telegram, which remains accessible in Russia. After declaring his admiration for Russia and Russians, represented by his idol weightlifting champion Yuri Vlasov, he said that “there are moments like this that are so wrong, and then we have to speak up.” The Terminator actor reminded viewers that “Ukraine did not start this war. Neither did nationalists or Nazis. Those in power in the Kremlin started this war.” He added that “this is not the Russian people’s war” and that, due to international sanctions, “those who don’t deserve it, on both sides of the war, will suffer.”

Schwarzenegger recalled his father’s experience fighting in World War II against the Russians during the bombing of Leningrad, today Saint Petersburg. “When my father arrived in Leningrad, he was all pumped up on the lies of his government. And when he left Leningrad, he was broken physically and mentally. He lived the rest of his life in pain. Pain from a broken back, pain from the shrapnel that always reminded him of those terrible years and pain from the guilt that he felt. To the Russian soldiers listening to this broadcast, you already know much of the truth that I have been speaking. You have seen it with your own eyes. I don’t want you to be broken like my father. This is not the war to defend Russia that your grandfathers or your great-grandfathers fought. This is an illegal war.”

The actor stated that 11 million Russians have family connections in Ukraine. “Every bullet you shoot, you shoot a brother or sister. Every bomb or every shell that falls is falling not on an enemy but on a school or a hospital or a home.” And speaking directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin, he said, “You started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war.” Schwarzenegger ended his video appealing to “all of the Russians who have been protesting in the streets against the invasion of Ukraine:” “The world has seen your bravery. We know that you have suffered the consequences of your courage. You are my new heroes. You have the true heart of Russia.”